Second Life Rewrite
by English-illiterate
Summary: The Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi away but messed up and ended up in 'Naruto's body. He thinks it is a new chance given to him by his son and continues to protect his precious people as 'Naruto' while keeping his existance secret. Rewrite
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is a rewrite of Second Life so if you have just realised that and want nothing more to do with the story, I'm not stopping anyone from leaving, so go ahead. These first few lines might put you off, so if you decide to 'jump ship', I completely understand. I wouldn't read a story I wasn't interested in either. Okay, first of all, I am NOT Minato, or his wife, or his close friend so I won't know how he'll react in most situations. Thus, there will most likely be times when he seems OOC, though I'll try my best not to let that happen. Secondly, this is for fun, not something serious like a full time job, so I wouldn't read too deeply into every little detail, like Minato's fashion sense or whatever. [Like: OMG! No! Minato doesn't wear black zori (is this the correct spelling?)! That's blasphemy!] I'd appreciate it if people point out my mistakes, so constructive criticism is most welcome. It's humbling to see those once in a while. Flames are not as welcome, but who am I to stop you? Well, enough rambling out of me I guess.

Chapter 1: Yuki

The Kyuubi attack had just ended and the hospital was in chaos, the doctors and nurses trying to keep up with the sheer number of casualties that kept flooding the building. Sarutobi sighed wearily, threading his way through the flood of people in pristine white clothes before reaching his destination. He sighed deeply once more, before yanking open the door to ward 409. The sight that greeted him was expected, many injured people laid out on the floor while the lucky ones languished in the bed, and he trod carefully so as not to accidentally step on someone's arm or leg, most possibly a head. After weaving through the masses to reach the middle of the room, he was surprised to find Naruto sitting up in his cot, crying. It wasn't crying as per se, but that was the only word he could use to describe the tears running down the baby's face. Not a sound escaped the blond despite the tears. Sarutobi picked the boy up and gently rocked the baby to sleep.

Minato had woken up after the sealing to find himself in Konoha hospital, as a baby. The loss of his wife cascaded down on him and cut into his heart, rending it in two. Tears of confusion, frustration and loss tumbled down his cheeks before a warm hand had picked him up and rocked him from side to side. The blond looked up and saw the face of his predecessor, the old man's hair more gray than he'd ever seen in the wispy strands, tiredness leaking from the Sandaime's eyes as he smiled gently down at the blond. Darkness soon enveloped his vision, no matter how much he tried to fight it, tried to ask Sarutobi about his son. Sleep soon won over, dragging him, screaming and kicking, into its dark abyss…

Minato awoke to find himself in a dour room, in a cot that looked ready to fall apart at the seams. He struggled to stand but gave up when all attempts failed. The next thing that had flashed through his mind was the whereabouts of his son. He looked frantically about the room and his shoulders drooped slightly, not finding his son in his vicinity. He tried his voice and was startled when the words that came out were slurred beyond legibility. Minato took stock of his surroundings once more and something clicked in his head. This was the same orphanage that had taken him in years before. It was only then that he realised that he was shivering. Konoha was deep in the winter season, thus it wasn't surprising.

Minato looked around for something that could bring him warmth, but found nothing to his dismay. Suddenly, a shuffling noise made itself known to him and his head swivelled to face the source. He was taken aback when the face of a young girl greeted him. She was, in his eyes, beautiful in every sense of the word. He quickly looked away, his already torn heart aching again. The young girl had deep red hair, a round face that had yet to lose its baby fat, and soulful violet eyes. She looked like an exact replica of a younger Kushina. "Are you cold?" the girl asked. Minato could only manage a nod, not trusting his voice. Suddenly, warmth enveloped him as a grubby blanket was draped across his body. Minato turned to look at the girl, who was smiling serenely at him, a smile a mother would direct at her child. "My name's Yuki. Don't let them know I stole the blanket from their store room," the newly identified Yuki whispered cheekily before scrambling out of the room, making as little noise as possible and muttering a muffled, "Shit," as she hit her head on the way out.

Before she disappeared, Minato noticed a choker around the girl's neck. The pendant, however, was shielded from his view by a curtain of red hair. After the initial shock wore off, Minato unconsciously touched his own neck, only to find a choker around his own neck as well. 'A tri-pronged kunai? How ironic,' Minato thought as he fingered the pendant. The blond drew the blanket closer to him and allowed sleep to take him once again. Harsh sunlight pierced his eyes, waking the now-young blond. He spent the rest of the day languishing in the cot, a caretaker having taken away the blanket the moment she sighted it. By the nightfall, he was both parched and ravenous on top of cold as everyone had just ignored him and refused to spare him any food or water. Soon, a scraping sound came to his attention as the red-haired girl sneaked into his room once again, bringing with her a blanket and a bottle of milk. "Those bastards. They didn't even bother feeding you," Yuki gently wrapped him in the blanket and carefully tried to insert the bottle into his mouth. Minato tried to protest, but any attempts were gently averted by Yuki. "I'm sorry. I don't have baby formula or…" the red head looked down at her breasts, indicating what she meant. "But I hope regular milk would do," Yuki finished. Once the bottle was empty, she slowly prised the bottle from his mouth, surprised at the baby's lack of resistance.

"Goodnight," Yuki kissed the blond on the forehead before leaving again. The days flew by quickly, Minato always looking forward to his midnight visitor. During the day, he often observed with some satisfaction as Yuki played peace keeper among her friends and pummelled anyone who dared cross her or harm one of her friends. Soon, everyone just submitted to her wrath, save for the care takers. A year flew by and Yuki started attending the ninja academy, teaching the blond how to speak in the middle of the night despite having to attend the academy in the day. Despite the visits she paid to him, she was always cheerful and energetic. October 10th came all too soon, the caretakers bringing all but the toddlers out for the festival. Minato lay in the cot, anticipating Yuki's return. The wait was torturously long, but it was worth it when Yuki crept into his room once again when everyone was asleep. "Hey, Naruto. I finally managed to sneak in some baby formula. I checked that it was warm enough," Yuki said as she gently fed the blond.

The visit was short, and as the girl turned to leave, Minato finally managed to utter a word, "Kushina." Yuki froze halfway out and accidentally hit her head, just like the day one year before.

"Crap! Damn door!" the red head whispered, casting one more tentative glance towards the blond, before retreating out of the room. Not long after the Kyuubi festival was the annual trick or treating on Halloween. The orphans went around to the other houses and estates, collecting candy from the households. If a household didn't hand over the sweets, the group would play a prank on them, and, as per the rule, the household was not allowed to scold or beat the children in any way.

This was the day Yuki practically lived for, stewing in her creative juices to find more and more creative ways to prank those who refused to offer them candy. The orphans also wore costumes as they went around the neighbourhood, to celebrate the day of the dead and spirits. Yuki led the orphans, dressed as a Goth loli. She had refused to dress as a princess and had shredded the dress, dyed it black, and styled it to her own liking. The rest of the orphans trailing behind her were dressed in costumes from pirates to faeries. "Let's start Trick or Treating!" Yuki announced throwing a hand in the air for a dramatic effect. The small crowd cheered before scattering, armed with paintball guns, toilet rolls, water balloons and bags. Yuki smiled proudly at her 'legion' of Trick or Treaters before turning to find a house to Trick or Treat herself.

'Why'd Yuki react like that when I called her Kushina? Could she be…? That's impossible. But then why am I like this? The name 'Kushina' definitely means something to her,' Minato thought.

Meanwhile, Yuki had just gone round to the Hyuuga estate to Trick or Treat. "No. I refuse to waste my time handing out candy to no name kids like you," a branch member had said. Yuki smirked dangerously as the Hyuuga slammed the door in her face. 'Time for some fun,' Yuki thought, glancing around for something that she could use. Upon spotting the hundreds of moths swarming around the lights, she whipped out a few cans of pesticide and, after checking what was used in it, sneaked into the Hyuuga estate after making sure that all of the white-eyed ninjas were asleep. She crept silently through the halls before spraying the pesticides everywhere, save for the nurseries. 'Done. Hope they have fun with the moths,' Yuki laughed inwardly as she slinked out of the estate. She smirked with satisfaction as she saw the first few swarms of moths making their way towards the Hyuuga-estate. The moment it struck 10, the orphans, bulging bags in tow, converged back at the orphanage where they split the candy equally between themselves. The room was in chaos as the orphans exchanged pranking ideas and stories about how their victims reacted.

Yuki sneaked away and slunk into the baby's room, bringing with her a few sweets. "Hi, Naruto. I brought some sweets. You want some?" Yuki asked kindly. Not receiving a reply, she simply dropped a few sweets into the cot, tucking them under the blanket, before walking off. A, "Thank you," stopped her, and she turned around to see the toddler tearing open a sweet wrapper. Yuki grinned at the sight and was rewarded with a broad grin from the small blond. "Ow! Damn you, door!" Yuki hissed at the door frame as she managed to hit her head on it once again. She walked out of the room, but not before shooting a two-fingered salute to the offending piece of wood. Minato smiled at the sight, the girl reminding him so much of Kushina. As soon as the girl left, screams echoed in the night, accompanied by Yuki, snickering in the next room over. 'So much like Kushina,' Minato mused, twisting a sweet in his hand and smiling before closing his eyes.

A/N: Well, this is the rewrite. Please don't flame me so early in. If you want to flame me, flame after. I know Kushina (Yuki) and Minato might seem very OOC, but I'm trying. Like I said, I'm not Minato.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Um… Inuyonas, I want to ask you what you mean by asking why I'm doing a rewrite. If I don't do a rewrite, then what can I do?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. Thank you for your understanding.**

Chapter 2: Yuki=Kushina

"Apple. Come on, say it with me. Aa-ple-le," Yuki babbled. It was 1 in the morning and Yuki was trying to teach the young toddler before her the skill of speech.

"Nee-chan, we've gone over this a dozen times already. It's already 1 in the morning, so please get some sleep. You have to go to the academy tomorrow," the young blond pleaded, not liking the look of the shadow of dark circles under the red head's eyes.

"You're no fun, Naru-chan. Three-year-olds aren't supposed to be able to speak so fluently. They're also not supposed to be able to read anything harder than picture books, and they're definitely not supposed to be ordering me to go to bed," Yuki ticked them off with her fingers.

"Well, why don't you try training me?" the blond joked.

"Hey! That's a good idea! Maybe I should take you to the training fields tomorrow! At night!" Yuki said enthusiastically.

"I was just kidding," the blond said frantically, not liking the prospect of Yuki losing even more sleep because of him.

"I know," Yuki said, a cheeky gleam in her eyes.

"Please. I don't want you to fail something because of me," the blond begged.

"Well, since you're so adamant about me going to bed, I'll go to bed," Yuki sighed.

"Goodnight, nee-chan," the blond whispered.

"Yeah, but this won't be the last you'll hear of it. You hear me?" Yuki pointed an accusing finger at the toddler, who nodded in acknowledgement. "Good," Yuki retreated to her own bed. The moment the blond had turned three, he had been moved to the main sleeping quarters to make room for other babies that were admitted into the orphanage.

Minato drew the blanket closer to himself despite the heat. It was in the middle of the summer and sweltering hot, but the piece of cloth held Yuki's scent, which was exactly the same as Kushina's. A wave of peace crashed over Minato, dragging him under into the arms of Morpheus. Blue eyes flickered open and took in the surrounding. Minato propped himself up into a sitting position with his hands. The first thing he noticed was that he was in his original body. Secondly, the place he was in was eerily similar to the house he'd shared with Kushina. Everything was exactly the same, right down to the woodwork of the doors and frames. Even the small indents in the floorboards, where Kushina had tried to give him a concussion with her cooking utensils, were present. He'd wanted to get it fixed, but could never find the time. And then he'd 'died'. The stubborn gouge marks were staying right where they were.

He stood and pushed open a door, finding himself in a large bedroom. "What is this?" Minato wondered aloud, picking up a photo frame. He and Kushina were on both sides of a shadowy figure, smiling for the camera. The blond ran his fingers over the shadowy figure before replacing it back on the desk he'd found it on. He turned his attention to a photo album and gingerly picked it up. They were filled with pictures of him, Kushina, and the same shadowy figure. 'Is this… my mindscape?' Minato wondered, exiting the room and closing the door gently behind him.

He strode down the hall to a baby blue door covered in stickers of cute baby animals and rainbows. The nursery. It had been meant for Naruto, but now it'd never serve its intended purpose. He stepped inside and was greeted with more baby blue. There was a cot in the middle. Many photo frames lined the top of a shelf and picture books were crammed inside it. Minato crouched down and withdrew a glossy book from the shelf. He opened it and flipped through the contents, reminiscing the times he'd seated himself beside Kushina and read it to the unborn child. His crystal eyes turned glassy. A gurgling sound brought him out of his reverie and he turned his head to the cot. He stood up and drew closer, finding a bundle in the cot. He brought it closer to his face and a wave of half joy crashed through his being, tears teetering on the edge of his eyes.

"Naruto?" Minato whispered weakly. The three year old just turned his sky blue eyes on the older blond and stared back at him with large, doe-like eyes. Minato gently clutched the toddler closer to his person, holding him tightly, as if the toddler would disappear if he loosened his grip for just one second. Tears cascaded down his cheeks and onto the younger blond's back, a dark stain forming across the fabric. Frustration, happiness, sadness and betrayal took on the form of liquid as they ran down Minato's cheeks, glistening in the artificial light. The tears did not stay for long, as Minato clutched the toddler to his chest with one hand and wiped the tears away with his free hand.

The ninja exited the nursery with Naruto in his arms despite wanting to stay in the room for longer. Time was against him and he had to find where the Kyuubi dwelled before waking up as the chance might not present itself to him again. He walked to the end of the corridor and turned, heading in the direction of the cellar. It was the most likely place. The cellar was completely clean and unobstructed. It was not the place. Naruto giggled in the ninja's arms as he ran around the house looking for anything that looked vaguely like a seal or cage. He found nothing. Minato went back to the bedroom that he and Kushina shared and set Naruto down on the bed, the blond crawling on the blanket and snuggling up inside the warm folds. Minato smiled at this, before sighing. The Kyuubi was no where to be found. Could it have meant that he had not really sealed the demon at all?

A growl pierced through his musings and Minato followed the sound into the bathroom. The first thing that greeted him the moment he set foot inside was a large mirror. The difference between this mirror and the one in Minato's real house was that, framing the mirror was an ornate nine tailed fox. Its head was rested at the top right hand side of the reflective object, two tails meeting at the side to envelope the mirror. Three tails stretched outwards from the fox's behind, curving outwards to serve as hooks for towels and clothes. In the fox's paws was a medicine cabinet, held by its front and hind legs. The intricate cabinet hung over the mirror and held an assortment of pills, ointments and the odd tube of toothpaste. The final four tails were broad, parallel to the ground and curved upwards at the sides, providing stands for mugs and toothbrushes.

"Damn you, Yondaime!" the frame growled, the sound reverberating through the bathroom. Minato was more interested in the location of the seal, rather than the Kyuubi's colourful curses. There was a strip of paper set in the middle of the mirror, but the odd thing was, it was just a reflection in the mirror. No other tag could be found besides the one in the mirror. The blond lifted the mirror to take a look behind it, only to find more unblemished wall. 'Strange. Where could it be?' Minato ran his fingers down the woodwork, receiving a loud snarl. His fingers found a groove, and he bent down to get a closer look. 'Flanked by the sun and led by the moon? What is that supposed to mean?' He stood up and looked into the mirror, 'Was the seal supposed to be like this? I wonder what happened.'

Minato blinked, trying chase away the dark spots before his eyes, before his vision went black and he was pulled out of his mindscape. 'It's not really my mindscape is it? That's why I was chased out. I promise you, Naruto, I'll get you out of there as soon as I can,' the blond could hear the matron waking the children up, but remained in the darkness for a few moments before opening his eyes to embrace the light. The day dragged on, being mercilessly slow as Minato anticipated the coming of the night. His eyes continuously flickered towards the clock. Finally, the day came to pass and the moon appeared in the sky. It was midnight again, and Yuki had sneaked out of bed once again to teach him how to read. "Nee-chan, please. You need to sleep. You're getting bags under your eyes," Minato said.

"Really?" Yuki gasped as she brought a hand up to touch her lower lids.

The lights blared and the two squinted as their eyes tried to adapt to the sudden assault.

"I knew it!" the head matron screeched, wagging an accusing finger in Yuki's face.

"Knew what?" Yuki asked, her face a picture of innocence despite having been caught red-handed.

"You're the one who's been teaching that… that… thing, how to read and write!" the matron shrieked, rousing the other children and live-in matrons.

"Naru-chan is not a thing!" Yuki protested.

"But you have been teaching him. Do you even know what he's been doing in the class?" the matron shouted shrilly. "What?" Yuki frowned at Minato the way a mother would frown at one's child when said child had misbehaved.

"Look at this. Look at this!" the matron pulled out a stack of papers before smacking them with her hand.

"So he's doing penmanship. And math. And drawing. Penmanship and math might be a little advanced, but what's so wrong about that?" Yuki shrugged, not even sparing the papers a second glance.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" the matron screamed, the spectators crowding around the bed. "I'll tell you 'What's wrong!' This 'penmanship', as you call it, are seals! I've seen him doing it! And this 'math' is equations on the trajectory of kunai. And this! These are maps! He's doing topography, I tell you!"

Yuki blinked owlishly at the papers before turning her attention to the matron.

"Are you mad?"

"What?"

"I'm questioning your sanity. Are. You. Mad?" Yuki said slowly.

"I'm not mad!" the matron screeched.

"See? See?" she turned to the papers to find an obscure shape that looked vaguely like an elephant. "What?" the matron said, her voice faltering. The lady went through the papers saying, "No, no, no, this can't be!"

"I do teach Naru-chan how to read, write and a bit of mathematics, but that's all. Your hysteria is unfounded," Yuki crossed her arms, picture book still in hand.

"I don't care! You've been teaching that thing! Out! I will not allow that thing in here any longer! I never want to see your faces here again!" the head matron grabbed the two by the scruff of their necks and threw them out, her large body rendering her impervious to Yuki's flailing limbs.

The two children landed in the streets, the door slammed in their faces.

"Let's see if we can find a nice cosy tree to sleep in. Besides, camping out will be fun, wouldn't it, Naru-chan?" Yuki smiled, turning to the blond next to her.

"Nee-chan, is it possible that we go to the Hokage?" the blond asked her, not falling for it.

"Right! Why didn't I think of that?" Yuki dragged the toddler through the empty streets towards the Hokage Tower, the street lamps illuminating their path.

* * *

><p>"So, you're telling me, that after the head matron accused Naruto of being able to draw seals, draw maps and calculate the trajectory of a kunai, she chased you two out?" the Sandaime asked, his eyes weary. They had barged into his office in the middle of the night and were now telling him that the matron who pretty much owned the orphanage had flown off her handle. The lines on the man's face were even deeper than before, his hair looking bedraggled and lined with more grey than he would have liked.<p>

Yuki nodded vigorously.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do," the Sandaime pulled a paper out of a huge pile and sluggishly reached for a pen, only to find that it had gotten buried beneath the mountain of paperwork. Yuki offered a pen to the Sandaime and he accepted it with a gracious, "Thank you."

The Sandaime clicked down on the top of the pen before starting and flinging the pen across the room.

"What the hell was that?" he shouted, sleep gone from his eyes.

Yuki walked over the pen and picked it up, chuckling, "It's a trick pen. It zaps you once you try and click the top, but it is actually a pen. You were just using it wrong. You're supposed to twist here." Yuki twisted the body of the pen, and the nib came out. The Sandaime sighed and took the pen from Yuki, signing a document.

"Here. Just show this to the landlord of the building just opposite the market district. I think it was called 'Heaven's Doors' or something. I own the building, so you only have to pay the electric bills and water bills. The rest will be paid by me. I'll also give you some allowance every month. I'll be having a talk with that matron tomorrow," the old man narrowed his eyes.

"You aren't sending us back to the orphanage?" the blond asked.

"If I did, you would probably be thrown out every night. It's also much safer for you to just own a house so the matrons won't mistreat you because of the incident earlier on," the man sighed, handing the two the document.

"Thanks, Jiji!" Yuki beamed and skipped out of the office, the blond in tow. The Sandaime just smiled tiredly at them before turning to pack up for the day. He'd had enough of paperwork.

* * *

><p>The two children found themselves standing before a large building, gaping in awe. A large sign outside read 'Heaven's Doors' like the Sandaime had said. It held a strategic location, where they could easily get to the market district, and it was not too far away from the academy. A training field was also situated close by, as was the Hokage Tower. The window on the far side also overlooked the Hokage Monument, giving the tenants a good view of the mountain and the faces carved into it.<p>

"Let's go in," Yuki said eagerly, bounding through the doors, the two doormen hastily opening the heavy glass doors to keep the red head from crashing into the thick sheet of glass. The blond followed behind her, thanking the doormen.

"The Hokage said to pass this to you," Yuki slid the sheet of paper across the marble counter. The landlord scanned the document before handing them a black folder with the keys to the apartment inside it.

"Come on, Naru-chan," Yuki called to the blond. The toddler hurried after the excitable red head, who was pounding up the stairs.

The landlord smiled at them. He had been hand picked by the Hokage for the job, seeing as he held no grudge against the boy. He hated the fox for killing his wife, and seeing the boy stirred anger in his heart, but he knew better than to channel his anger at the boy. He knew that the blond was not the fox. 'How cute,' the landlord thought, as he watched the blond try his best to catch up with the red head. He was probably going to get ostracised by the rest of the civilians, but he didn't care.

He'd never been one to go with the crowd anyway.

* * *

><p>Yuki ran down the corridor, turning her head this way and that, trying to take in everything at once. The floorboards were spotless and the windows were crystal clear. Everything was kept pristine. They finally found their apartment and Yuki fitted the key into the lock and turned, the lock clicking open. She pushed open the door and gasped. The living room was very spacious, with a long table made of teak and matching chairs. A television faced the table, and a large sofa was sprawled directly before it. Yuki walked towards the nearest room, which happened to be the kitchen. There was a large refrigerator beside a marble counter. Cabinets lined the space above the counter and below it as well. An oven was situated between the counter and the sink, and a microwave was built in above it. A stove sat perpendicular to the sink and a timer was placed beside it.<p>

"Obstruction shouldn't be a problem here," Yuki noted, running her hands over the counter. Minato appeared beside her after locking the door, the red head forgetting to do so in her astonishment. "Let's go check out the rooms, Naru-chan," Yuki grabbed the blond's hand and led him out of the kitchen. The first bedroom was sizeable and was equipped with its own toilet. Yuki sat on the bed and bounced before burying her face in the sheets. Not long after, she had fallen asleep.

Minato smiled and sat beside the red head's form, just watching her sleep. He pushed a few red strands out of her face and tucked them behind her ear, before trying his best to get a pillow under her head in his three-year-old body. He switched the light off, curled up beside the red head and lapsed into sleep.

* * *

><p>The ex-Hokage opened his eyes and found himself in the house again. He got up and rushed to the master bedroom and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Naruto still there. The toddler held his arms out to Minato, as if begging to be carried. The older blond complied, bringing the toddler into his arms. He brought the blond into the nursery, intent on teaching him how to speak. The young blond took to it rather quickly, and was able to say 'apple' before Minato was once again sucked out of the mindscape.<p>

* * *

><p>The blond awoke to the smell of food and exited the room to find Yuki already in the kitchen cooking breakfast. "I'm going to the academy. You can wander around the house and explore. Just don't touch anything potentially dangerous like knives or matches, okay? The bento here contains your lunch, so please don't attempt to cook anything, which means don't touch anything in the kitchen except for the water jug, the mugs and the bento. Got it?" Yuki said, sliding the food onto a plate and putting it on the table before the blond. Minato nodded before shovelling the food into his mouth. He'd missed Kushina's cooking, and here was a girl who could cook exactly like her. Tears made their way down his face. He wiped them away before Yuki could see.<p>

Yuki slid into the chair and choked down the food, before running out the door shouting, "See you later!"

"Have fun!" Minato called after her.

He wiped the plate clean before realising that he was currently too short to put the dishes in the sink. He clasped his hands in a hand seal and concentrated on summoning his chakra. He channelled it into a shadow clone, and was pleasantly surprised when it worked. It took longer than if he were in his original body, but it worked. He clambered onto the clone's shoulders, the clone securing the blond's ankles with his hands. Minato set the dishes into the sink and dispelled the clone after getting down.

* * *

><p>It was in the afternoon and the blond was lying on the sofa, sweating. The sound of the lock turning forced him into action and he hastily flung his damp clothes into the laundry basket and swapping it for a fresh set. "I'm home, Naru-chan," Yuki sang while she locked the door. "What did you do today?"<p>

"I cleared the dishes and spent the rest of the time reading, Nee-chan," the blond replied.

"Since when did reading involve sweating your guts out?" Yuki asked, picking up an article of clothing from the laundry basket.

"It's summer, Nee-chan. Sweating is normal," the blond said.

"Right. I'm going to make ramen for dinner, and since we finally have a TV, we can actually watch something. I've always wanted to try eating and watching the TV at the same time!" Yuki said, rushing into the kitchen to cook. Minato trotted into the kitchen and helped to ferry things to and from the refrigerator. Soon, the smell of salty broth permeated the air. Yuki dished the ramen out into two porcelain bowls and set them out on the table, paired with two pairs of chopsticks and a spoon for the toddler. Yuki switched the television on and they were greeted with two women facing each other.

"The TV guide says it's called 'Bleach'. Do you want to watch it, or should I change the channel?" Yuki asked.

"It's up to you," Minato said.

"Then let's watch it," Yuki set down the remote and slid into her seat.

* * *

><p>Yuki stared at the screen, transfixed.<p>

_"But I haven't relinquished my other title," the purple haired lady, Yoruichi, smirked._

_"Goddess of Flash," the black haired Shinigami, Soi Fon, ground out._

'Sounds a bit like my old moniker,' Minato slurped thoughtfully at his noodles.

Yuki's eyes grew wide as a white energy danced around Yoruichi and Soi Fon.

"It's a lot like chakra isn't it?" Yuki said.

Minato looked up at the screen.

_"It doesn't have a name yet," Soi Fon smirked, white ribbons dancing around her fists._

_"You're wrong. It has a name," Yoruichi said with a pained expression on her face. "Flash Cry."_

_Yoruichi then launched into a technical explanation about the technique and the secret behind the onmitsukido uniform._

"Nee-chan, do you think Flash Cry is possible? It seems pretty useful, combining ninjutsu and taijutsu," Minato asked.

"Maybe, but it's very unlikely because you have to coat pure chakra around your arms and legs, but you'll also have to be able to control it or it'll explode or something. Then, your ninja career will be over. Also, the chakra itself won't be able to do much by itself. The Yondaime's Rasengan also used pure chakra, but it was compressed using shape manipulation and spun in different directions for the desired effect, so it's very unlikely," Yuki concluded.

The blond just fixed Yuki with a blank stare, before the red head laughed, "You're so mature for a three year old, I sometimes forget you are still just a three year old, clever or not."

Unsure of how to answer, the blond went back to his noodles.

After the dishes were cleared away, Yuki voiced, "Do you want to take a stroll in the park and walk off all that food?" The blond nodded his assent and the two left the apartment, Yuki locking the door behind them. The night was warm but occasional gusts of wind caressed them, providing momentary reprieve from the heat. They passed by a drunkard, passed out on a park bench.

"Hey, mister. It's not healthy sleeping out here," Yuki shook the drunkard.

The man rolled over and vomited, the vile concoction nearly hitting Yuki had she not jumped away in time.

"What the hell? Why the hell did you have to wake me up? Go home and leave me alone!" the man slurred, before turning over again.

"But…" Yuki started to protest.

"I said leave me alone! Who do you think you are, the Hokage? Telling me where I can or can't sleep? Huh? Kid's these days," the man sank back onto the bench.

He lifted his head and caught sight of Minato.

"You!" the drunkard growled.

The man slammed the blond against a tree, his hand around the toddler's neck. "You killed my wife, and my family. You even destroyed my ninja career, and yet you dare show your face to me, you wretched fox! I'll kill you!" the man shouted, tightening his grip.

"No!" Yuki cried out. She instantly regretted not bringing her weapons with her. Yuki charged at the man and swung her leg out, but her body would not allow her to hit any harder than an average ten year old. Personal training had not been allowed at the orphanage. The only time that she was able to train was when she was at the academy. Suddenly, she found herself swatted away by the drunkard's beefy hand. "Damn it!" Yuki cursed, before trying again, this time dodging around the attack and hitting the man square in the face. The man howled and let go of the blond, bringing his hands up to clutch his face.

"You bitch!" the drunkard snarled, letting go of his face to reveal a bloody nose and a missing tooth.

"Naru-chan, run!" Yuki shouted, darting around the man's wild swings. His leg was stiff, so he was slow, but he managed to get a lucky hit in, sending Yuki crashing into a tree. Yuki emerged from the wreckage, bloody and bruised. The man charged at the red head again, only this time, it was Yuki's turn to land a hit, forcing the man to his knees by kicking his bad leg. Minato tried to get up, but his muscles refused to obey. The blond cursed his helplessness and clasped his hands in a hand seal, trying to gather as much chakra as he could, before releasing it in a flare. The Anbu would be upon them soon.

The drunkard turned away from Yuki and started on the warpath towards Minato, dragging his bad leg along. "Now, it's your turn," the man grinned maliciously.

One moment the man was bearing down upon him, the next he was sent flying over his head and into a tree. Minato turned away from the man to stare at the person before him. She looked to be in her mid-twenties and was standing with her fist still outstretched. Her clothes were slightly ripped, only managing to cover the bare necessities, leaving much of her belly, thighs and back exposed. Curtains of red hung around her heart shaped face and body, effectively covering whatever her ripped clothes could not.

"Hasn't anyone told you, that if you play with fire, you're gonna get burned!" the red haired woman shouted at the downed man, putting her fist down, but not relaxing enough for the man to get the jump on her. "Naru-chan, are you okay?" the lady picked the blond up and held him close to her.

"Nee… Chan?" Minato said.

"Huh? Oh, right," the red haired lady set the blond down.

The toddler blinked, and Yuki was standing before him again.

"That was a genjutsu just now. We learned it in class. I just used it to get the drop on him," Yuki chuckled.

'Yuki is… Kushina? If she is, I'd better not pursue it or she'll rip my head off,' Minato shuddered inwardly the last time he'd pressed her about something she refused to talk about. He'd nearly gone to see the Shinigami with all the sharp, pointy objects flying around. A masked ninja dropped from within the trees, silver hair ruffled slightly.

"What happened here?" the Anbu asked.

It had seemed terrifying when the man had attacked them, but now the shock and adrenalin had worn off and it seemed too minor to get an Anbu involved.

"We saw him sleeping on a bench and I tried to wake him up. Then he saw Naru-chan and got mad. He… he…" Yuki burst into tears. The state of her and her clothes told the rest of the story. The dog masked Anbu tried to comfort her. She was a friend of his sensei's son, after all, and she'd fought valiantly to protect him. 'She will be a ninja to be feared when she grows up,' Kakashi thought, as the girl's sobs died down to small hiccups.

"You did the right thing. We'll be taking the man in for questioning. He'll be locked up so he can't hurt you anymore, okay?" Inu reassured the red haired girl. The girl nodded, her eyes still glassy, tear stains painted down her cheeks. "Good. Just get home safely, okay?" Inu said softly as he collected the drunkard's prone form. Yuki nodded tearfully again. Inu smiled behind his mask and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

The moment Inu left, Yuki turned on Minato and held her hands in a peace sign, her tongue sticking playfully out of her mouth. "So, what do you think of my acting skills? Pretty cool, huh?"

The blond nodded, "Teach me that sometime, Nee-chan!" "Not today, though. Inu-san said to go home. I'll teach you before you enter the academy though, okay?" Yuki grinned, leading the blond out of the park. Minato nodded enthusiastically. He'd always wondered how Kushina could act so well. Now he'd find out.

Minato turned back to where the fight had taken place and went on high alert when he saw a large patch of red, glistening bright scarlet against the green grass in the light of the street lamps.

**A/N: I'm really stressed. I've got a lot to do, so please don't hate me. I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed. I'm not very familiar with the dynamics of the Rasengan and other things, so I thank you if you could point out my mistakes. It would help me greatly in my writing. Thank you. **


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